Irina Shidou

Irina Shidou (紫藤 イリナ, Shidō Irina) is one of the many female protagonists of High School DxD and the childhood friend of Issei Hyoudou. Irina is a third-year high school student at Kuoh Academy in Class 3-B and is a devout Christian who, even after learning of God’s death, still follows His teachings. She is later reincarnated as an Angel by the Archangel Michael through one of the Brave Saints, her ranking among his peerage being Ace of Spades. Irina is a cheerful, goofy, upbeat, and enthusiastic person. She is also cooperative and open-minded, as seen when she discusses matters such as Excalibur Ruler with Arthur Pendragon. She is a fiercely devout Christian, even more so than Xenovia, showing deep respect for God’s teachings. In one of her past missions, she expressed happiness at being able to wield a Holy Sword like her father before her. During her first appearance, she was strict toward those she perceived as opposing her religion. This was demonstrated in her initial treatment of Asia Argento, although she was notably less harsh than Xenovia. She also reacted strongly to Xenovia becoming a Devil. The death of the God of the Bible deeply shocked Irina; however, she continued to believe in His teachings and transferred her faith to Michael, whom she regards as the current guiding authority of Heaven. She later becomes a close friend of Asia, forming the Church Trio together with Xenovia. As noted by Michael, in addition to her strong faith, Irina is innocent, honest, respectful, and friendly—qualities he greatly valued and the reason he chose her as his Ace. Irina is shown to be somewhat naïve and prone to misunderstandings in emotional or social situations, which often leads to embarrassment or confusion. Xenovia occasionally teases her about this tendency, though Irina herself is sensitive about how others perceive her. She is particularly annoyed by being referred to as “self-proclaiming.”